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The Flash: Candice Patton Talks Iris West Becoming A Speedster

In but a matter of hours, we’ll finally bear witness to what has become one of the hottest talking points among the Arrowverse fanbase over the course of the past few months. Really, whether you’re optimistically for it or angrily against it, pretty much everyone has had their own opinion regarding the decision to make Iris West a speedster on The Flash.

But no matter what side of the fence you may be on, there’s really no need to burst a blood vessel because this is just a temporary thing, as Barry Allen’s powers will transfer over to Iris thanks to a bus meta for only one episode. Still, it can’t be ruled out that she’ll acquire powers of her own on a more permanent basis down the road, but it’s for the best we not get too ahead of ourselves.

When recently speaking with Collider, actress Candice Patton seemed happy at the notion of suiting up, even if only for a one-off:

“I always thought it would be cool for fans and for the show to see her suit up for an episode. I never wanted it to be a thing, where Iris became a superhero on The Flash. We’ve got enough superheroes, and that’s just not who Iris is. The most important thing about who Iris is, as a character, is that she’s a hero, in her own right, without any superpowers.

She uses her heart, her intellect, and her street smarts to help the team. It appeals to the audience that we, ourselves as human beings, every day, can be heroes in our own lives. We don’t need superpowers and we don’t need to get struck by lightning tomorrow to do something important. Irish illuminates that, on the show.”

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In doing so, Patton obviously has to step up to whatever challenges come with filming for a speedster. As she continued, she spoke of what it was like to run a mile in the shoes of her co-star, Grant Gustin:

“For the character, really cool. For me, it was just like riding a bike, for the first time. There is no school for acting in front of a green screen that I’m aware of. I’ve watched Grant [Gustin] do it for three years and been like, ‘Cool for you, bro. That’s something I’ll never have to do, but good for you.’ I didn’t find out about this until shortly before we were shooting it.”

And while executive producer and showrunner Todd Helbing danced around fan theories surrounding Jessica Parker Kennedy’s mystery girl in the very same interview, we encourage you all to keep your eyes peeled for her during tonight’s spectacle. Truth be told, if any outing calls for another appearance to be made by her, it’s that of “Run, Iris, Run.”